Deputy Women and Child Affairs Minister Dr Namal Sudarshana said the Government is looking at an age-based regulatory approach to children’s social media and phone usage, rather than imposing an outright ban for those under 15.

Fielding questions from The Daily Morning yesterday (26), Dr  Sudarshana said the proposal raised in Parliament by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, calling for a social media ban on children under 15 years of age, had to be considered with care. 

He said the issue is complex and needs broader consultations before any final decision can be reached. He said that discussions have already been held under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Education Minister with the participation of the Digital Economy Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Women and Child Affairs Ministry, non-governmental organisations and international organisations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund. 

Dr  Sudarshana noted that technology can no longer be completely removed from children’s lives, particularly as education increasingly depends on digital tools. He said that the authorities are instead looking at a categorised system based on age groups rather than a blanket restriction. He said that very young children may face strict limitations or complete restrictions on phone access, while older teenagers, especially students above the age of 16, could be allowed greater freedom due to their understanding of responsible technology use. He said that children within middle age groups may be given regulated access limited mainly to educational or approved websites. 

Dr  Sudarshana noted the Digital Economy Ministry has been tasked with developing a technically feasible proposal on how such regulations could be implemented in practice. He said that it was decided that a blanket ban below a certain age limit could not simply be imposed. The idea has since been referred to the Digital Economy Ministry so that they can study it and identify suitable technical methods if restrictions are to be introduced. He said that the Digital Economy Ministry has been asked to submit a report on the matter, and that it is now up to them to put forward proposals on how such limitations could be implemented.

He explained that the foundation for the policy is yet to be laid, as only initial discussions had taken place so far. 

He further noted that in countries such as Australia, although the issue has become a key topic for discussion, the approach taken had involved introducing limitations and restrictions rather than an outright ban on the use of social media.